Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-01

| gated. it needs good drainage It will not
do where there is stagnant water in the
ground, although it will bear large guam
tity OF water by irrigating in teaching land.
The old canes should be cut out at the
end of the year, and three or four new
canes left in punches, say three by eight
feet apart, as general rule, for the coming
year, and these should be headed down to
four or five feet in length, as may prove best.
Blackberries are easily propagated from the
new canes coming up from the root. But
the plants may be grown from fragments OF
roots planted in beds, to be reset, or put in
where they are to grow. 1t is desirable to
propagate choice kinds from the roots
alone, as large quantity of stock can be
sooner obtained this way. 1t is also better
for the bearing plants not to dig around
them, as by cutting the roots the plant be-
comes weakened and less productive. The
better way is to leave all new shoots needed
for the following year, and carefully cut
off at the the surface of the ground all
superflous shoots, leaving only three or
four, or whatever may be needed, of the
strongest canes, for the coming years crop.
GoosEBERRIEs
Gooseberries are the first pie fruit of the
season we have in California. They come on
in the season when they are especially de-
SlTdUic- w Acl lutI SlONH, DtlOIt luty DG-
come ripe, the fruit is shipped in bags or
very large quantities. Much of it is also
sold to the canneries, where it is put up
chiefly for a distant market
The gooseberry is propagated from cut
tings eight to twelve inches in length. If
the soil is compact and heavy, five inches
in the ground is quite deep enough. AS
every bud on the cuttings is likely to put
out top growth, it is we'll to cut out the
buds of the part OF the cutting that is to go
in the ground, if the plant is to have a
body-hke shape. The suckering plants are
not desirable, as the fruit will be smaller
and must be picked with greater difficulty.
Those who raise this fruit in large guam
tity will find it advisable to gather the fruit
with buck mittens, by rubbing it off into a
pan, and afterwards cleaning up in fan
ming mill to take out the leaves.
The chief kind of gooseberry cultivated
here is the Houghton's Seeding. Though
medium in size, il comes early in the sea-
son, is good in quality and very prolific.
The English gooseberries, though much
larger than our seedlings, do not find a
natural home on this continent. Though
coming from the north slopes of land, in
the region OF dampness and fogs, these va
rieties generally mildew in California. But
| there are exceptions to this rule. There are
regions, generally inland or away from the
| ocean, where some of these foreign kinds
| are grown successfully. There is a variety
sometimes called the Kilsey gooseberry
| from the old Kilsey nursery, of Oakland
| that is being disseminated and is meeting
with much favor, on account of its large
size and comparative freedom from blight
They may be planted three by six fee
| apart in favorable soils.
STRAWBERRIES.
| The Virginia strawberry, SO called, is the wilC
| strawberry found in our Eastern pastures, wood.
| and meadows This variety was introduced
| into England some two hundred years ago
| where experienced gardeners found It TO pro
| duce varied kinds from the seed.
| This is the variety from which nearly all OF
| our best kinds originated, and they possess the
| natural fragrance and beauty which we finC
among the choicest kinds now cultivated. IL is
| true local conditions and varied systems of cul
| tivation may change the appearance and quail
| ity of the fruit. Still, our distinguished bot
| anist. DR.. Gray, classes the varieties found il
| the Eastern and those in the Western States o.
| our country as belonging to the same species
| however much they may vary in color and
| other characteristics This fact borne in min6
| Will show the reason why our leading kinds o
| cultivated berries do not do well in all LOCAL.
ties and all kinds of soil, even where suitable
| ingredients are found in abundance for produc
ing plant and fruit
II IOiioWS, therefore, lQaJ we OF INe IaClu'
/ coast can never foretell the value of new kind
| of this fruit brought to this State. It requires
| actual experiment to determine what vii
prove good in each locality. While many o
| our Eastern productions will prove passabll
| good in some section or other on the Pacifi
| coast, l know of only one kind among all the i'm
| pOrtations that has proved of much value here
| l refer to the Triumph de Gand, Belgian va
riety.
The old stanch variety, the Longworth Pro
life, still maintains its high character in small
| portion OF Santa Clara county, where the great
est share ofthis fruit is grown for our markets
! But even here it is only in limited sections
even in the strawberry region, where it hai
maintained its prestige. After twenty-five year
| OF experimenting, it is everything considered
| the best we have although discarded in thu
| place of its origin in Ohio.
! The strawberry region of Santa Clara is EN-
| braced in section of land about six mile
| broad, and extending back from Alviso, at the
| head OF the San Francisco bay. Here the straw
| berry is the first fruit to bloom, and blush il
beauty in the early spring. These vast fields with
| their white blossoms and ripening fruit are the
| admiration of the beholder the most of the year
| sFECIAL CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS
| Among the favorable conditions for success
| are suitable soil and proper cultivation. eli.
matte condition also exercises a controlling in
fluence. While the plants are producing theil
| new foliage, damp, cool atmosphere is suitable
for the purpose but, as the fruit attains its size
| a warmer atmosphere and brighter sunshine
| are needed TO give color and perfection to the
| fruit.
Some varieties may require light soils, while
other kinds viii do equally well, under our sys.
TEN of irrigation, in the heaviest land. The
Longworth. which sends its root out near the
surface. win do better, as general rule in the
heavy land. But ii requires much care, in cult
walton, not TO injure the roots, and this rule is
OF prime importance in the cultivation of any
variety OF strawberry. After the fruiting sea
son, and after the fall of winter fross, the tops
OF the plants are to be cut OFF to the crown with
4 sickle or other suitable instrument, care being
m of ba hat ra
in the crown OF the plant.
PLANTING AND IRRIGATING.
For the purpose of planting the strawberries
the land is ridge6 up, after repeated plowings
TO puIverize it, so as to form beds The plants
are put in on the edges of these beds, in rows "A
70 30 inches apart. and about eight inches apart
il the row. The distance between the rows is
the same whether on the beds or between them.
u irrigsting the water is turned on through the
bitches between the beds. The sooner it passes
through the better, on well graded land.
Irrigation should accompany cultivation, so
as TO restore so far as possible, any injured
plants. Water should be applied in dry weather
as often as needed to prevent the ground drying
up about the roots. This is very important
matter, and should not be neglected.
Many plantations are annually ruined by the
neglect to irrigate. 1t is in the dry season that
the strawberry borer does its chief work. Too
much water in soils not well underdrained is
equally as destructive to the plant as the
drought.
The intelligent cultivator should always bear
in mind that in dealing with the strawberry he
is dealing with the most delicately organized
fruit plant grown, and treat it accordingly. In
early days we planted the beds quarter of
mile long, and passed the water through the
whole length of the row at once One-fourth
this distance would be much better.
Well-grown plants may be put in during any
season of the year in well-graded land properly
fitted for the purpose. The usual time Tor plant
ing is during the rainy season, or in the early
spring. For early bearing they should be planted
in the fall, the earlier the better, so that they
may become well established before the ground
freezes. 1t is much better to put in the plants
while there is moisture in the air Irrigation
should be applied during the planting and
should be continued whenever needed, to keep
the plants growing. The irrigation is continued
during the fruiting season. In warm weather.
the water should be applied after each picking
say once or twice week.
VARIETIES TO PLANT.
From what has been already said, we Will I'M
derstand that some soils are better adapted TO
certain varieties of Strawberries and other soils
to other varieties.
The Longworth Prolific sends out its roots
near the surface when properly planted. The